Fecal Fraction Research Articles

Age-dependent Variation of Zinc-65 Metabolism in LACA Mice

Mice were gavaged with zinc-65 solution, 8.6-19.3 kBq per mouse, and the whole-body retention and organ content of zinc-65 were measured at different times after administration. The age-dependence of the fractional absorption of zinc-65 from the gastrointestinal tract (f1), the endogenous faecal excretion fraction of zinc-65 (EFEF), tissue distribution and whole-body retention were determined. The f1 values obtained were 0.86 +/- 0.15, 0.64 +/- 0.11, 0.52 +/- 0.07 and 0.39 +/- 0.02 in suckling, adolescent, young adult and older mice, respectively. The EFEF values determined were 0.083 +/- 0.008, 0.099 +/- 0.004, 0.122 +/- 0.018 and 0.144 +/- 0.005 of intraperitoneally injected zinc-65 in suckling, adolescent, young adult and older mice at administration. Zinc-65 mainly distributed in the liver, muscle, lung, kidneys and bone. In some tissues, there was an inverse relationship between the relative content of gavaged zinc-65 and the animal's age at administration. The whole-body biological half-lives of zinc-65 increased with animal age. The influence of the age-dependent variation of zinc-65 metabolism on internal dose and on radiation protection is discussed.

Neutral sugar composition and gravimetric yield of plant and bacterial fractions of feces

Separating dietary fiber from other polysaccharides in digesta and feces is necessary to understand its mechanisms of action. A gravimetric method that separates fecal plant and bacterial matter based on size and density was evaluated and modified to determine the plant and bacterial mass of lyophilized whole and blended rat and human feces. Three screen mech combinations (150 and 75 microns, 150 and 35 microns, 35 microns) were used with rat feces. Filtration of a homogenized rat fecal slurry sequentially through 150- and 35-microns-mesh screens versus 150- and 75-microns-mesh screens decreased the gravimetric recovery of bacteria from congruent to 35 to congruent to 25% of fecal dry weight and increased the plant fraction weight. Neutral sugar composition, determined by gas chromatography of alditol acetates, and bacterial counts of the fractions suggested that the decreased yield of bacterial fraction represented removal of plant material and not a loss of bacteria. Rat excreta contained 29.5% (dry weight) total neutral sugar, 88% of which was recovered in the plant material. Human feces containing wheat bran, fractionated with the 150- and 35-microns-mesh screens, was 21% neutral sugar, congruent to 65% of which was in the plant fraction. The plant fractions had more xylose and arabinose and less glucose than the bacterial fractions. Processing samples in a Waring blender had no adverse effect on the rat or human fecal bacterial counts. The use of this gravimetric method in combination with the sugar analysis of the fractions provided a better measure of plant and bacteria than only gravimetric yield.

Measuring lignin and neutral sugars in neutral detergent soluble and insoluble fractions of human and rat feces

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVArticleNEXTMeasuring lignin and neutral sugars in neutral detergent soluble and insoluble fractions of human and rat fecesEdward S. Kris and Judith A. MarlettCite this: J. Agric. Food Chem. 1990, 38, 5, 1218–1223Publication Date (Print):May 1, 1990Publication History Published online1 May 2002Published inissue 1 May 1990https://doi.org/10.1021/jf00095a013RIGHTS & PERMISSIONSArticle Views98Altmetric-Citations2LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InReddit PDF (807 KB) Get e-Alerts Get e-Alerts

Norfloxacin binds to human fecal material.

Earlier studies have reported very high (120 to 2,700 mg/kg) concentrations of norfloxacin in feces after therapeutic doses. MICs for fecal microorganisms are with few exceptions far below these levels. Nevertheless, clinical investigations show that the main part of the aerobic gram-positive and the anaerobic microflora remains unaffected after norfloxacin administration. In this study, the binding of [14C]norfloxacin to fecal material was analyzed. The binding of a group of nonlabeled quinolones to feces and the interactions between Enterococcus faecium, Bacteroides fragilis, and norfloxacin were also investigated. The results showed that norfloxacin has the ability to bind to feces. The specific binding was reversible, saturated after 90 min of incubation at 37 degrees C, and increased linearly with fecal concentration. Scatchard plots and nonlinear regression computer analyses revealed two different binding classes. The primary specific binding had a dissociation constant (KD) of 1.0 microM and a maximal binding capacity (Bmax) of 0.12 mumol/g of feces. The KD and Bmax of the secondary, more unspecific binding were 450 microM and 11.8 mumol/g of feces, respectively. The binding of unlabeled ciprofloxacin, enoxacin, ofloxacin, pefloxacin, and norfloxacin to feces was comparable to that of [14C]norfloxacin. The results of norfloxacin binding to suspensions of B. fragilis suggested that the main part of the binding is to the bacterial fraction of feces. In the presence of 8.0 g (dry weight) of B. fragilis per liter, the MBC of norfloxacin for E. faecium increased from 8 to 256 micrograms/ml. The finding of the present study indicated that binding of norfloxacin to feces may explain the paradox of high fecal concentrations of norfloxacin versus the actual effect on the normal gastrointestinal microflora.

Contribution of the microflora to proteolysis in the human large intestine.

Protease activities in human ileal effluent were approximately 20-fold greater than in normal faeces. Comparative studies with faeces from a person who did not have a pancreas suggested that a substantial proportion of the proteolytic activity in normal faeces was of bacterial origin. Thimerosal, iodoacetate, EDTA and cysteine significantly inhibited proteolysis in faeces, but not in small intestinal contents, showing that cysteine and metalloproteases were produced by bacteria in the large gut. These results, together with results from studies using p-nitroanilide substrates, demonstrated that faecal proteolysis was both qualitatively and quantitatively different from that in the small intestine. Studies with pure cultures of proteolytic gut bacteria indicated that the cell-bound proteases of Bacteroides fragilis-type organisms were likely to contribute significantly towards proteolytic activity associated with the washed cell fraction and washed particulate fraction of faeces. Extracellular proteases were formed by Streptococcus faecalis ST6, Propionibacterium acnes P6, Clostridium perfringens C16, Cl. bifermentans C21 and Cl. sporogenes C25. Inhibition results suggested that these bacteria, and similar organisms, may be partly responsible for the extracellular proteolytic activity found in the cell-free supernatant fraction of faeces.

The behavior of metabolites, methylated selenium, in mouse after oral administration of sodium selenite

The behavior of the metabolites of selenite, dimethyl selenide (DMSe) and trimethylselenonium ions (TMSe), administered to mice was studied. There were 2 groups of mice; one was used for single administration and the other was used for 10 repeated administrations. The selenium compound, sodium selenite, was injected into the stomach at the dose of 4mg Se/kg/day.The results are as follows:1. The largest amounts of methylated selenium in mice were found to be TMSe within 6h after single administration of sodium selenite and were excreted in urine rapidly.2. The respiratory excretion of DMSe reached a maximum 6h after single administration and contained 1.6% of the administration dose of Se. When selenite was continuously administered, the amounts of exhaled DMSe increased according to the number of administrations and reached a plateau after 4 administrations.3. The Se concentrations as TMSe were determined in water soluble fraction in liver and kidney, and 6h after single administration, corresponded to 1.31% and 0.16% of the administered dose of Se in liver ane kidney, respectively.4. TMSe excretion in urine reached a maximum 6h after single administration that was 78.9% of total Se concentration in urine. TMSe was measured every 24h after continuous administration. The amounts of TMSe in urine ranged from 63.7 to 68.1% of total Se concentration in urine and ranged from 20.1 to 21.0% of the administered dose. TMSe was found to be the major form of selenium metabolite in urine.5. TMSe was also determined in water-soluble fraction of feces and amount of selenium as TMSe was observed to be 1.9% of total Se concentration in feces untile 24h after single administration.

Dynamik des Aminosäuren- und Proteinstoffwechsels der Legehennen nach Applikation von15N-markiertem Weizenprotein

Over 4 days 12 colostomized laying hens received together with a commercial ration labelled wheat with a 15N excess (15N') of 14.37 atom-%. The labelling of the basic amino acids amounted to 13.58 atom-% for lysine, to 14.38 atom-% for histidine and to 13.63 atom-% 15N' for arginine. 3 animals each were butchered 12 h, 36 h, 60 h and 108 h resp. after the last application of 15N. The heavy nitrogen in the total N and in the N fraction of non-protein origin as well as in the basic amino acids in faeces was daily determined for the individual hens in the total experimental period. On average the crude protein of faeces contained 5.45 % lysine, 2.32% histidine histidine and 3.68% arginine: the protein of faeces correspondingly contained 5.43% lysine, 2.32% histidine and 4.07% arginine. The quota of TCA soluble N in the total N of faeces amounts to one third on the 3rd und 4th days of the experiment and that of 15N' to 28%. The average atom-% 15N' of the protein fraction is 3.48 atom-% 15N' and that of the non-protein N fraction of faeces 2.93 atom-% 15N'. The apparent digestibility and that of the non-protein N fraction of faeces 2.93 atom-% 15N'. The apparent digestibility of the 14N of the ration on average amounts to 82.8% and that of the wheat 15N' to 87.5%. The average quota of the basic amino acids in the protein compounds of faeces amounts to 70.9% for lysine 15N', 73.7% for histidine 15N' and 70.3% for arginine 15N'. The digestibility of the 15N labelled amino acids amounts to 80.4% for lysine, 90.8% for histidine and 90.2% for arginine.

Cellular toxicity of fecal water depends on diet

To determine whether concentrations of potentially toxic lipids in the aqueous phase of human stool are responsive to changes in dietary fat, calcium, and fiber, 20 male volunteers were placed on a high-fat, low-calcium, low-fiber or a low-fat, high-calcium, high-fiber diet for 4 days. To assess toxicity of the fecal fractions, we examined the ability of fecal supernatants to lyse human erythrocytes. Bile acid concentrations in fecal water from the low-fat group were reduced significantly from 180 +/- 60 microM to 100 +/- 70 microM; in the high-fat group, increased from 190 +/- 60 microM to 250 +/- 100 microM. Erythrocyte lysis was 76% for the high-fat group, 37% for the low-fat group. There was a significant weak correlation between aqueous bile acid concentration and cell lysis. Results suggest that diet can influence concentrations of detergents in the aqueous phase of human stool and the potential toxicity of this fraction to cell membranes.

Characterization of cytotoxic steroids in human faeces and their putative role in the etiology of human colonic cancer

It has been shown previously [1–3] that chemically induced nuclear aberrations in the murine colon are correlated with the carcinogenicity of the respective chemicals. Consequently, the nuclear aberration assay was utilized for the identification of putative carcinogens in human faeces. Human fecal samples were fractionated by several chromatographic methods, and the assay led to the isolation of two substances. A combination of spectroscopic (mass, nuclear magnetic resonance, ultraviolet, and infrared) and chromatographic (HPLC and GLC) methods showed that they are 5-α-cholestan-3-one (I) and cholest-4-en-3-one (II). A number of C-27–C-30 steroids isolated from closely related fractions of feces were inactive in this assay. Thus I and II could play a role in etiology of large bowel cancer in humans.

Effect of Potassium on Association of Minerals with Various Fractions of Digesta and Feces of Sheep Fed Hay

Effect of Potassium on Association of Minerals with Various Fractions of Digesta and Feces of Sheep Fed Hay

Use of blue cotton for detection of mutagenicity in human feces excreted after ingestion of cooked meat.

Fried ground beef has been shown to contain mutagens, and the major mutagenic component has been identified as 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx). Mutagens in feces of three adult volunteers were fractionated by treatment of the feces with blue cotton followed by chromatography on a carboxymethyl cellulose column. The chromatographic fraction corresponding to MeIQx in terms of the position of elution was examined for mutagenicity in S. typhimurium TA 98 with metabolic activation. When meals containing no heated meat were eaten, this fraction of feces showed little or no mutagenicity. On eating fried ground beef, the feces excreted in the next 2 days showed greatly increased mutagenicity in this fraction. By eating no-meat meals subsequent to the meat meal, the mutagenicity resumed the original low level on the fourth day after the meat meal. The components in the mutagenic fraction were analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography, and were shown to differ from MeIQx.

Protein degradation by human intestinal bacteria.

Analysis of human gut contents showed that substantial quantities of soluble protein, ammonia and branched chain volatile fatty acids occurred throughout the large intestine [0.1-24.4 g (kg contents)-1, 7.7-66.0 mmol (kg contents)-1 and 1.5-11.1 mmol (kg contents)-1 respectively]. The presence of these metabolites suggested that substantial proteolysis was occurring. In vitro studies showed that casein and bovine serum albumin were partly degraded in slurries of human faeces over a 96 h incubation period, to produce TCA-soluble peptides, ammonia and volatile fatty acids. Proteolytic activity detected in the stools of five individuals ranged from 3.5 to 19.8 mg azocasein hydrolysed h-1 (g faecal material)-1. Washed cell and washed particulate faecal fractions accounted for 24-67% of total activity. The predominant proteolytic bacteria in the faecal samples examined were identified as Bacteroides spp. [1.0 X 10(11)-1.3 X 10(12) (g dry wt faeces)-1] and Propionibacterium spp. [1.2 X 10(8)-1.0 X 10(10) (g dry wt faeces)-1]. Other proteolytic bacteria which occurred in lesser numbers were identified as belonging to the genera Streptococcus, Clostridium, Bacillus and Staphylococcus. These results demonstrate that the gut microflora could potentially play a major role in proteolysis in the human colon.

Fresh dairy manure characteristics and barnlot nutrient losses

Seven North Carolina milking herds were studied over a 30-month period to determine nutrient conservation between the time of manure excretion and land application. The relative amount of nutrients, urine and fecal fractions of manure, were determined in each. A simple mass balance, considering the inputs and outputs of a dairy cow, was used to estimate daily manurial nitrogen production. The average value was 0·361 kg of N per cow-day. Of the amount estimated in ‘as-exreted’ manure, 77% of the N, 102% of the P and 90% of the K was determined by mass balance to be removed from storage. Little, if any, nutrient loss was attributed to storage. Barnlot management with complete and frequent manure collection was found to be important. The farms in this study were found to dilute their manure by a factor of two by the time it was land applied.

Fecal mutagenicity arising from ingestion of fried ground beef in the human

Fried ground beef has been shown to contain mutagens, and the major mutagenic component has been identified as 2- amino-3, 8- dimethylimidazo[4,5-ƒ] quinoxaline (MeIQx). Mutagens in feces of 3 adult volunteers were fractionated by treatment of the feces with blue cotton followed by chromatography on a carboxymethyl cellulose column. The chromatographic fraction, corresponding to MeIQx in terms of the position of elution, was examined for mutagenicity in S. typhimurium TA98 with metabolic activation. When meals containing no heated meat were eaten, this fraction of feces showed little or no mutagenicity. On eating fried ground beef, the feces excreted in the next two days showed greatly increased mutagenicity in this fraction. By eating no-meat meal subsequent to the meat meal, the mutagenicity resumed the original low level on the fourth day after the meat meal. The components in the mutagenic fraction were probably metabolites of the mutagens present in cooked meat, since analysis by high pressure liquid chromatography of the mutagenic fraction showed that the active components in the feces were different from the mutagens in cooked meat.

DNA-damaging activity in ethanol-soluble fractions of feces from New Zealand groups at varying risks of colorectal cancer.

Using repair-proficient and repair-deficient strains of E. coli, we investigated the application of a liquid incubation assay to measure the DNA-damaging activity of ethanol-soluble fecal extracts. This method appears to be suitable for the study of a wide range of sample types. It was used to measure the DNA-modifying activity of ethanol-soluble fecal extracts from a group of European colorectal cancer patients. Data were compared with those from Europeans of similar age and sex distribution who did not have bowel cancer. We also studied groups of Maoris, Samoans, and European Seventh-Day Adventists who followed an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet. There are significant levels of DNA-modifying materials in the feces of many Europeans on a mixed diet, regardless of whether or not they have cancer. The number of positive samples was less in the Polynesian groups, and there were no samples that could be unequivocally scored as positive in the Seventh-Day Adventist groups. We conclude that diet can significantly reduce the level of ethanol-soluble mutagens, at least in New Zealand Europeans. The data may provide an explanation for the reduced incidence of bowel cancer in Seventh-Day Adventist groups.

Proteins in the digesta of the pig: amino acid composition of endogenous, bacterial and fecal fractions.

When studying digestibility, the respective parts of the exogenous, endogenous and bacterial fractions in the digesta or feces must be measured. The proportions of proteins from different sources may be estimated by comparing their amino acid composition with those of reference sources. This study describes the composition of endogenous and microbial proteins, i.e. meconium of piglet small intestine and colon, axenic piglet feces, bacteria isolated in the feces of pigs receiving a standard (cereal-based) or a purified diet, and pure culture of Escherichia coli. The composition of monoxenic piglet feces and of feces of conventional pigs fed the two types of diets have also been studied. The data on 17 amino acids were used to make overall comparisons of compositions, using the method of X2 distances and factorial correspondance analysis. The composition of exclusively endogenous products differed somewhat from that of samples (mucus, mucosa) usually considered as representative of that fraction. In conventional pigs, the major part of fecal proteins was composed of bacterial protein. Accurate estimation of these was difficult: diaminopimelic acid assay gave an estimate of 65% bacterial protein, while in the same experimental conditions X2 distance gave an estimate of 90%.

Human fecal fractions can produce nuclear damage in the colonic epithelial cells of mice

Nuclear toxicity of several known carcinogens and fecal fractions obtained from 10 healthy individuals was investigated in the colonic nuclear aberration (NA) assay using an intrarectal administration. Two known colon carcinogens, MNNG and DMAB, and a carcinogen of organs other than the colon, B(a)P, induced NA in a dose-related manner. Chromatographic fractions of feces from 10 donors were tested for their ability to produce NA. The dichloromethane fraction for several was active and yielded a significantly positive response which was dose-related. Our study demonstrated that the feces of some healthy individuals contain compound(s) which damage colonic nuclei in a similar manner to that seen with some known carcinogens.

Clastogenic activity of bile acids and organic acid fractions of human feces

Chloroform extracts of fecal material from 4 subjects on normal mixed western diets were fractionated to obtain an acid fraction and a hexane extract containing neutrals and bases. The acid fraction from at least 2 of the donors induced an elevated frequency of chromosomal aberrations and exchanges in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Since acid steroids are expected to be present in the acid fraction, 5 bile acids were assayed for clastogenic activity in CHO cells. Ursodeoxycholic acid induced chromosomal aberrations and exchanges, and this effect was enhanced by the addition of a microsomal S9 mix. However, the enhancement is probably due to physical factors rather than to enzymatic activity.

Androgen metabolism in the beagle: endogenous C 19O 2 metabolites in bile and faeces and the effect of ampicillin administration

In gall bladder bile from 6 male beagles the total C 19O 2 steroid concentration, as measured by mass fragmentography, varied from 3.1 to 5.4 mg/l. More than 95% of the metabolites were present as glucuronide conjugates with the remainder as monosulphates. In the glucuronide fraction, androsterone, aetiocholanolone epiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, 5β-androstane-3α,17β-diol, 5α-androstane-3β,17α-diol, 5α-androstane-3β,17β-diol and 5-androstene-3β,17β-diol were identified. Quantitatively, the 3α,5β and 3β.5α isomers predominated. In the monosulphate fraction the unsaturated metabolites, 5-androstene-3α,17β-diol, 5-androstene-3β,17α-diol and 5-androstene-3β,17β-diol were relatively more abundant and androsterone and aetiocholanolone were the predominant oxosteroids. The faecal excretion of these steroids in a male beagle, measured over two consecutive 24 h periods, was 157.3 and 194.2 μg/24 h. More than 92% of the steroids were unconjugated. Both the qualitative and quantitative pattern of the C 19O 2 steroids in the unconjugated and glucuronide fractions from faeces were very similar to those found in the biliary glucuronides. All the steroids found as monosulphates in bile were also detected in the monosulphate fraction of faeces. On the second day of a 3 day course of oral ampicillin administration the faecal excretion of C 19O 2 glucuronides was increased from 10.5, under control conditions, to 313.7 μg/24 h. The concentration of unconjugated steroids was unchanged. On the following day the concentration of steroid glucuronides returned to normal but the amounts of unconjugated C 19O 2 metabolites were significantly increased. Ampicillin had no major effect on the relative distribution of steroids measured in either the glucuronide or unconjugated steroid fraction. These results suggest that the biliary-faecal axis is a major excretory route for androgen metabolites in the male beagle. In addition, the effects of ampicillin administration suggest that intestinal microflora play a significant role in the hydrolysis of the biliary steroid glucuronides.

Fate of 36C1-toxaphene in rats.

In the rat, 52.6%, of an oral dose of36Cl-toxaphene was excreted within 9 days. Approximately 37% was found in the feces and 15%, in the urine. Upon extraction, most of the radioactivity occurred in the water fractions of urine and feces as ionic chloride. Animals given a second dose on the 9th day excreted toxaphene in a similar manner except36Cl excretion in feces was reduced. Less than 10% of the dose was found in selected tissues and organs 1 day following the treatment.